Last weekend I finally watched a movie my husband recommended to me months ago. I’m not going to say the title due to potential spoilers. The movie wasn’t marketed as a romance but there is a super adorable romance as part of the story. The male lead was incredibly charming. We will call this character Peeta. (It’s not the Hunger Games.)

​Husband had mentioned the story was a tear jerker, which is one reason I took so long to get around to watching it, so now I started fretting about Peeta. Then there are story developments and a love triangle happens. We’ll call this guy, Gale.

There were some valid reasons to root for Gale who was sweet and unsure of himself, but I was all team Peeta. I’m watching all these story developments: PeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeeta

Maybe I was supposed to feel tear jerky for Gale? Because there were story elements about that situation that were sad.

Meanwhile me: PeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeetaPeeta

Luckily, she picked Peeta. No tears were jerked.

Once I get invested in a romance in a story, that is all I can focus on. It doesn’t matter what else is going on with the story, my brain wants to see where the romance goes.

This is a very short list of some romance movies I love:

The Lake House

I love this movie. I was explaining the plot to a friend and his incredulity almost broke his face in half. “They’re in different times?” Yes. And I’m not even sure Sandra and Keanu have the greatest chemistry but I love the way they get to know each other through their letters. And I love the way Keanu drops in on her before she knows who he is. One of my go-to movies when I need to sit on the couch with fuzzy blanket and a glass of wine.

Notting Hill

Last time I watched this I had to pause and rewind when I realized Lord Grantham is the one who asks Anna if she’s successful at acting in the dinner party scene. I love Hugh Grant in this movie. I made a Horse & Hound joke to a colleague not long ago and he did not get it.

Return to Me

During my last annual re-watch of this movie, I noticed it only had 2 stars. Only 2 stars!?!?! Who stars these things? This movie is so sweet. The performances, including Carroll O’Connor’s in his last film, are terrific. I love the old Italian guys at the restaurant. Four stars from me.

13 Going on 30

Jennifer Garner makes this movie work. I love the Thriller scene which by all rights should be cringe-worthy but I love it every time. Actually there are a lot of bits in this movie that are potentially creepy if you think about it too hard. Mark Ruffalo is good, too, as the confused, friend from 13.

Non-thematically linked photo of my dinner rolls before baking.

As a general rule I try to avoid comment sections, but recently I found myself in a comment section where a commenter was scolding the poster for using the term, American Indian.

I’m not in charge of what people are or are not supposed to say, but in my experience, Indians refer to themselves and other Indians, as Indians.

What is my experience? Tribal citizenship with lifelong social and cultural contact with my Tribe. I’ve been a legal professional involved with tribes and tribal organizations for over twenty years.

Personally, I don’t like the term Native American and avoid using it most of the time. I use a person’s nation if I know it. Otherwise, I use tribal, indigenous, or native. I refer to myself as Karuk.

What do others say about the issue? (I keep updating this since the links keep disappearing).

Native Times published an editorial that strongly supports referring to ourselves as Indians.

In an article updated Sep 13, 2018, Amanda Blackhorse interviewed a number of Native people. No consensus.

The FAQ from the National Museum of the American Indian says that Native American, Native, or American Indian are acceptable but generally people prefer to be called by their nation.

I have a Goodreads giveaway going on for a couple more days. Sign up and win. Info is here.

If you like to review books you can join Reading Deals and get a free copy of Heartbeat Braves there. Not sure how long it will be available so grab now.

Also, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! the ebook is on sale at all your favorite ebook sellers. So much sexy urban Indian romance for 99 cents. Don’t miss out.

Bookmark/stickers are here. We’re getting closer.

The window next to my desk needed to have the caulk fixed.

This has been on my list for months. I set all the stuff I would need on a shelf next to the window to remind me to do it.

I also needed re-caulk a small strip in the bathtub. That one was easy, so when I was finished I was all heady with my ability to caulk and decided to do my window.

I figured it would be quick. One hour and I would be done.

Well, in the process of removing the old caulk, I flaked off a big strip of paint. Trying not to panic, I tried to clean that up and I gouged a chunk out of the drywall.

Then I had a project. It wasn’t dire. I knew how to fix it but it involved finding things like drywall spackle and tools. And I had to find something to cover the floor. Then I had to find the paint. After considering how dangerously I wanted to live I had to find my painting clothes.

It took most of the day but it looks nice now and hopefully I did the caulk right and will enjoy a better seal on my window.

Here’s the update: I have the edited manuscript and am putting the final touches on it. You can read an excerpt from Chapter 1 here.

There has been a delay in the cover, so we don’t have a publication date yet. I’m aiming for the first half of November.

I lied again. I still don’t have a cover or a sample chapter.

I did get the blurb up on the front page if you missed it.

Urban Indian Romance — a point of view that doesn’t exist in romance which is amazing considering how many romance books are out there. I’m planning a series of four in this story sequence.

I also updated this site and rearranged a few things. Does that count?

Getting closer.

I know, I know. I’ve been saying this all summer but FOR REAL: by the first weekend in October I will have news.

There will be a cover and a blurb and a best guess release date.

Hang in there with me!

I don’t know what’s going on with this photo. I took it in nice lighting but it looks like I took it in a cave. The apple tree is loaded this year.

The good news is, I’m about three quarters of the way through the first draft.

The bad news is, I haven’t done any other non-essential life activities.

I just remembered I have a newsletter. I should probably remember how to do that and send out a note to update my loyal readers.

Soon. Very soon.

Here’s the URL to sign up Pamela Sanderson Newsletter of Intermittence. Don’t worry, I won’t flood your inbox or share your info with anyone.

Tomatoes on the sill before they went into the yard.

I’m always reading these tips and thinking: that’s a tip? I do that all the time. I didn’t know it was a tip.

Here’s a tip: if you need to freshen up your bathroom but you’re too lazy to clean it. Spray a little Mrs. Meyers on a paper towel and run it over your surfaces real quick. Technically, it counts as cleaning, and it makes everything smell fresh. (At least to me. I once used Mrs. M to clean a counter in the break room at the office. Colleague said: “What smells in here?”)

I wish I had a dollar for every “this cleaning tip will never fail” that totally failed. My bathtub is enamel and has mineral build up from the water. I have tried one “will not fail” tip after the other. I’m afraid to get too crazy because I don’t want to wreck the finish. Some of the tips emphasize that you need some elbow grease, as if my failure is not scrubbing hard enough. I can do elbow grease.

I read one tip that said to keep your tub in good shape you should rinse it out and dry it after each use.

I’m all for taking good care of my things but on the weekdays I’m lucky to perform basic hygiene and get out the door on time. I can’t worry about my shower getting special treatment.